


Constellations

by ChestnutPatronus14



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Human, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Past Relationship(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-23
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-03-22 23:44:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13775130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChestnutPatronus14/pseuds/ChestnutPatronus14
Summary: Before his status as the Leader of the Zodiac was restored, Loke had been in a relationship with one of his guild mates, more so than the flings and flirting he did with the women of Magnolia. Gray was different for him, always had been, something to be cherished and protected.  He had never expected how short his time would be, or that he'd allowed back into the Celestial Spirit World.  It had changed everything.So much had changed since then, and after the effects of the Eclipse had died down, the spirits were each granted one request.  Loke used his so he'd be able to return to his home, return and explain himself to his friends, his family, and to Gray.Gray was still reeling from the events of the Grand Magic Games, and everything that had happened to him over the past year.  There were just some things he is not ready to confront, and Loke is not one of them.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And for my next Fairy Tail fanfic, I bring you Loke and Gray! Do not worry, all will be explained. Trust me.

Something about the process had driven him across Fiore, and it had taken him a fair bit of time to make it back to the guild hall in Magnolia.  Days of travel, of making his way there with such limited resources that it was putting a strain on his emotions and his life.  All he wanted to do was close his eyes and suddenly appear at his destination.  That was not an option for him anymore.  Walking was not exactly an easy thing either, but it was what he was left with, since when he had woken up very much alive, and very much human,with ust enough jewels to make it to one train station and no other.

Loke had his hands shoved into his pockets as he approached Fairy Tail, tilting his head at the sight of the guild.  Well things had certainly changed.  It was a lot larger than before which could be a good thing, depending on what the inside of the hall looked like.  

That was not what was important though, what was was working up his nerve to walk right through the gate into the--courtyard?  Well that was new. 

Loke shook his head and walked through the gates, aware of the sudden stares and whispers.  They only got louder when he entered the hall.  Everyone was looking at him.  One quick glance and he was able to tell the ones he was particularly interested in were not, of course, in the guild hall. Of all the times for the four of them to be interested in doing their work, why did it have to be right then?

“Loke!”  He turned his eyes towards where Mirajane was standing behind the bar, staring at him.  “You…You’re… But Lucy said.”

“You have a story to tell then?” Loke nodded in response to Master Makarov, moving over towards him.

“I take it the guild heard about the eclipse?” Loke asked, taking a seat by the bar, aware that people were still staring.  Not that he minded, he was wearing the clothes that people were used to seeing him in, his hair, however, was still at the length it was when he had been Leo. 

“Are you surprised? You had a large role in that.  She has the key for Leo though.”

“Can safely say it ain’t me pops,” Loke said as he picked up the cup sipping at the tea that Mirajane had brought him.  “Spirit King granted us each a request in a manner of apology for what happened.  I am banished from the Celestial Realm.”  He paused glancing towards Master Makarov.  “My request was one that surprised even the great Spirit King.”

“How does Lucy have a key then?” Mirajane asked her brows furrowed. 

“I’m sure as soon as she summons Leo, you’ll hear about it.” After another sip, he set down the mug.  “I still have the same spells as I did as Leo, they’ve been tampered to a normal human level of magic from what I can tell. When will they be back?”

“Soon.  That mission they went on won’t take very long.”

“Good.”  There were a couple of them that he needed to talk to. Well…one person really.

* * *

Gray was exhausted, they had been walking back from the job they had been on, forced to do so because of Natsu’s stomach and the person who had graciously been giving them a ride did not want dragon slayer vomit everywhere.  It was nice to be back in Magnolia, even if they had just been out of the city for a short period of time, it always felt good to return home.  It would always be that to him, no matter how far he roamed.

It was the same old same old now that they were back, Erza leading the way with her cart of luggage, Wendy and Carla happily talking with each other, Natsu talking about food and Lucy just trying to keep Happy from making jokes about…well…anything.

As they walked into the guild hall, the very air seemed different, a more somber mood taking over.  Lucy was the first one to notice why.

“Loke! What are you doing here?”

“Hey, it’s a long story.”

“Well what are you waiting for man?” Natsu said slinging an arm around the spirit’s shoulder.

Gray ignored him, or pretended to, though he could feel Loke’s eyes following him as he went up to the bar and sat down, ordering food.  He felt Juvia move closer to him, standing almost protectively close to him.  Juvia was the only one Gray had told and that was because he felt that she had a right to know the truth.

It was difficult for him to be around Loke, and to see him there so unexpectedly, had been enough to throw him off balance.  There were still lingering feelings for Loke that were twisting rushing through his mind.  After everything that had happened, Gray did not want to listen to him, not even to hear why he was there.

Loke was talking about the Spirit King, how he had granted each of the Zodiac members one requisition and that his was-  

“You’re human?” Gray said looking over towards him with anger in his eyes.  “And you think after the shit you pulled you can waltz back in here?”  There was the soft touch of Juvia’s hand on his arm as he balled his hands into fists.

“Gray let’s go…” Juvia said softly, her blue eyes filled with concern. 

He scoffed as he got up from where he had been sitting, slinging his arm around Juvia’s shoulders. “Let’s get out of here…” he said, leading Juvia towards the door, knowing that his guildmates were staring at his retreating form at his outburst that was more typical of Natsu than himself. Normally, Gray was able to maintain his cool nature far better than he just had…but he was angry.   Angry enough to make even his blood boil.

Only when they were outside and around the corner from Fairy Tail did Gray remove his arm from around Juvia’s shoulders.  “You know that trying to make him jealous is only going to make you feel worse, Gray,” Juvia said, taking hold of his arm, starting to lead him back towards his place.

“Yeah? Cause pretty sure I cannot feel worse than I do right now.  Human.  What the hell is that guy thinking?” 

“That he missed his friends and family at Fairy Tail?”

“Sure he did.  He was a Celestial Spirit who tried to kill us…and they’re letting him just waltz in like it’s no big deal.  He lied to us for years.”

“They let me in and I tried to kill you.”

“That’s different.”

“Because this is personal for you?”

“Course it’s personal, he and I used-“ Gray made a face and looked away from her as they walked down the street.  Juvia had been the first person he had specifically told about himself and Loke, how before he had disappeared and shown he was a spirit, that they had been together.  It was a secret, neither one wanting to put the other at risk from rival guilds, or put a strain on working relationships. Loke had not said a thing about it since he had shown he was a spirit, not a single thing.  It was like it had never happened and had meant nothing.

Juvia rested her head on his shoulder and sighed.  “Let’s get you home so you can relax, been a long day and you deserve some time to just rest my darling.”

“Would you knock it off with the darling stuff?”

“If you want to make him jealous then no,” Juvia replied, glancing up at him.  “Even if it may make Lyon angry if he found out, he’s not here right now, and you’re my friend.”  She then beamed at him, taking his hand in both of hers.  “So my darling where shall we go for dinner?”

So Loke was following them.

“Ah wherever you want,” he said forcing a smile onto his features watching as Juvia let out a laugh and dragged him over to a small place to pick up food. “What here? Thought you wanted to go out.”

“No, I changed my mind, let us get something and we can eat at your place.” Juvia said ordering food for the two of them.  By then she knew what Gray liked and didn’t like, and even if he wasn’t up for eating, he’d have it in case he did. 

Gray tugged his wallet from his pocket leaning closer to Juvia.  “How on earth did you know he was following?”

“You are a catch, why would he not follow?” Juvia said cheerfully as Gray paid for their food and they left the shop.  Gray spotted him from the corner of his eye, just at the end of the street, watching the two of them as he and Juvia continued down the street. 

If there was one thing that Gray did not want to do, it was speak to Loke. Spending time with Juvia was preferable, she was one of his best friends, even if she did have her moments when she could drive him up a wall .  They spent the evening talking, eating the sandwiches that they had brought back to his place.  The discussions were typical -- the jobs they had been on, the gossip of the guild, their current speculations was on how Laxus could be the most oblivious person in the guild. 

Eventually it was time for her to return to Fairy Hills, and Gray walked her back home.  He could be thoughtful when he wanted to be, and she had let him use her as a part of his ploy to keep Loke as far away from him as he could.

What he hadn’t expected was that standing there by the gate to Fairy Hills after he had dropped off Juvia was Loke, hands in his pockets, watching him through those blue tinted glasses that he was always wearing.

Gray felt his body tense and looked towards the ground as he kept walking, pushing right past him as if he wasn’t even there. It took a lot of strength not to stop and turn back to him, and for one brief fleeting moment, he thought he was in the clear.

Then he felt Loke’s hand close around his arm and spin him around.  “Gray.  We need to talk.”

“Nothing to talk about, Loke. You made that clear years ago.”

“Gray, come on.”

“Let me go, or I’ll make you.”  The air around him had suddenly dropped in temperature as he met Loke’s gaze, as if daring him to continue on.

Loke raised a brow at him, tilting his head to the side, but let go of his arm.  “We need to talk.  I owe you an explanation.”

“You _owe_ me?” Gray seethed. “I want nothing from you man. I’ve been through enough in the past year that I don’t need you crashing back into my life.”  Gray started to walk away, his eyes forward, telling himself not to look back.

“I know what happened to you during the dragon’s attack.  I know-“

Gray whirled around, an ice lance flying from his hand hitting the stone pillar of the gate inches from Loke’s head.  “You know nothing.  Leave me be, Loke. You had your chance.  You’ve had it multiple times. Each time you’ve proven that I was nothing to you.  I’m not wasting my life on you.  Not after I already had it nearly stolen from me once.  You decide what you want then come back to me. You don’t get to decide how I feel about you or toy with that any longer.”

Gray said nothing else.  Once more he turned, and began to walk home, praying that no one else would stop him, because he couldn’t hide the tears that now slid down his face, his heart breaking all over again.


	2. Chapter 2

“Gray.You are not supposed to be here.” It was the fourth time she had said that phrase in the past hour while Gray sat sullenly below the window.

“Yeah, well, Loke can’t find me here.” 

Gray watched as Juvia let out a sigh and shook her head as she closed the window in her bedroom.It had seemed like a good plan at the time, really he was not allowed to be at Fairy Hills, where the apartments for the women in Fairy Tail was located.Why would Loke look for him there?It was easier to hide than to confront his thoughts and the unwanted feelings that were welling up inside of him.It seemed, however, that Juvia had other plans.

“You cannot stay here, I am on my way to the guild hall.Lamia Scale has requested my assistance on a job with Lyon,” Juvia stated as she tugged on her hat, checking to make sure everything was in the bag she had packed.

“A job.You just happen to have a job with Lyon?” Gray raised a brow from where he was sitting, tilting his head. “You think I’m gonna buy that Juvia?”

“Well you should because it is the truth.”Her cheeks were pink.“Out the window Gray, you cannot go through the front door.”

“How about I go with you?”

“You are avoiding the guild hall because you know Loke is there.You cannot continue to avoid him forever Gray.”Juvia made her way to the door looking back at him.“Go.I’m locking the door behind me.”She disappeared through it, leaving Gray alone in the room.

Of course he was avoiding the guild hall, that was where Loke was.It was the one place where without a doubt Loke would be. Maybe he needed a break, maybe he just had to get away from a little while and just escape Magnolia. Take a job or something that would get him away.

With a sigh, Gray stood and moved back to the window, opening it and sending the ice stairs back to the ground.Remembering to close the window, he climbed back down, the stairs disappearing as his foot would leave it. Juvia was waiting for him out front, and he walked with her to the guild hall.Perhaps coffee and food would help him think clearer.

The guild hall was a buzz with the normal noise, people talking, the clatter of forks and spoons on the dishes, Elfman shouting about something being manly, Cana in a drinking contest. 

“Morning Mira,” Gray said as he took a seat at the bar.He had seen Erza, Lucy, Natsu, and Happy, but could not bring himself to sit with them. There was still the lingering embarrassment from his outburst the other day.Since then, Gray had made it an artwork of avoiding the guild hall, until there were very few people in it to go in, eat, and check the request board.

“Well don’t you look just wreck,” Mirajane said setting a mug down, filling it with coffee.“You want your usual?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

“I’ll put it in now.”

Gray rarely ordered coffee, and when he actually did, the majority of the guild stayed far away from him; the exceptions seemed to be Mirajane, Natsu, and Erza.He stared at the liquid in the mug before he brought it took his lips and took a long drink.It had been a rough night mostly because he did not sleep for the majority of the night.There were far too many thoughts in his mind for him to be able to silence them allowing him to sleep. Memories of him and Loke, and the time that they had spent together.

“You wanna tell me what’s up or keep givin’ us the silent treatment?” Gray glanced towards Natsu who had brought his plat of waffles over to the bar sitting down beside him.

“Not really.” Gray gave Mirajane a small smile as she set the plate of food down in front of him.Unlike Natsu who went for sweet breakfast foods, Gray almost always had bacon, eggs, and toast. He picked up one of the pieces of bacon, biting it in two.His eyes moved back to Natsu.“Would you stop staring at me, it’s getting creepy.”

“You know, there were some days you’d come to the guild smelling normal, other days I could have sworn you’d come in and smelling like someone else.”Natsu continued to eat the stack of waffles that was in front of him.

Gray gave him a look, then stared right back at this plate of food. “What of it Natsu?”

“Want me to kick his ass?”

“What?”

“No one hurts my friends and clearly he did something to hurt you.Take it or leave it.”

“You helping me out? Natsu people will start to talk.”

It was an unspoken bond between the two of them.They fought all the time, but they were best friends, had been for years and god help the person who hurt one of them.No one was allowed to do that except each other.Gray cared deeply for Natsu, even if he did drive him up the wall.

“Eh let them talk.Ain’t nothing that we can’t handle.”

Gray used his mug of coffee to hide his smile, listening to the sounds that filled the guild hall as people got started with their day.Gray took his time eating his breakfast, only pausing to say goodbye to Juvia when Lyon finally arrived to pick her up for their job.Others were selecting jobs, discussing ones they just got back from, and about their training plans for the day. 

With no job that had been particularly interesting to him, Gray had gone out back to the pool, his legs dangling in the water.His cool skin cause steam to rise from the pool, and Gray found himself glad that no one was trying to swim, the water would be too cold soon for most people.

The sun felt good on his face, and his eyes were closed enjoying the moments of silence that he had been able to finally find.Perhaps if he took up a spot on one of the chairs he’d be able to get some much needed rest. His mind began to wander, back to moments he had done his best to forget.That first night he had spent with Loke, fumbling, laughing, and taking pleasure in each other.

“Gray.”

“Go away Loke.”The voice was unmistakable and Gray knew that he should have figured that Loke would show up at some point.“I’m not interested in-“

“It’s against Celestial Law for a human to be with a celestial spirit romantically. We can be friends, we can’t be together.”That made Gray pause, opening his eyes to look at the former spirit, a brow raised questioningly.“When we were together, I never thought I’d be allowed back to the Celestial World, the moment I was.”

“-I suddenly became as important to you as a lost sock,” Gray snapped, pushing himself back to his feet, his mood foul.“I told you Loke I don’t want to hear it.You could have told me, you should have told me years ago.”

“I couldn’t.”

“Couldn’t, could you?” Gray met his gaze, and felt his stomach lurch.Damn it, no.Why were these feelings coming back to him all of a sudden.He just wanted it to go away so he could forget about it, forget about him.

“I risked you getting in trouble if I explained it to you.I was under a close watch of the King when I was taken back.”

“I don’t want to hear this Loke.”

“No but you need to.What I did wasn’t out of malice, it was to keep you safe.”

Gray was silent for a moment not looking at him.Perhaps it was that Loke had expected ice, which is why he didn’t react to block him, but Gray slammed his fist into Loke’s jaw sending him stumbling back.

“When I want to talk with you I will.Right now I don’t.Respect that, or get used to being treated like this,” Gray said moving back into the guild hall.

He sat in the corner away from where others still were, his face in his hand.There was Asuka and her parents, the child going on about something she had just learned about.The people currently in the hall just seemed happy, and it made his stomach twist into an uncomfortable knot and he did not want to do anything else but sit there, maybe with something a bit stronger than coffee.

“You need to get that temper of yours under control Gray.” 

Gray’s dark eyes fixed upon Makarov who was looking up at him from where he stood.

“Hard to do when he just won’t take no for an answer.”

“Desperation makes people do things they would not normally do,” Makarov said having climbed into the seat across from Gray sliding an envelop across the table.“Confront your past, learn you are capable of moving forward, and embrace your future.The guild will be here when you return.”

Gray picked up the envelope, opening it.Two tickets destined for his home town, one with his name on it and the other. “No. I’m not going with him.”

“You are.Use the trip to work through whatever it is that is going on with you and Loke. I do not expect for the two of you to be best friends, but you need to be able to tolerate each other without you trying to kill him. Go home and pack, your train leaves in an hour.” 

There was no room for discussion, and Gray could only watch as Makarov left going to take his usual spot upon the bar.

All Gray could think, was that he was completely and utterly screwed.


End file.
